Preview: What needs to happen for a win at Lambeau?
Oakland nearing end of brutal road stretch
It’s almost over. A road swing unlike any other in franchise history finds the Raiders visiting the Green Bay Packers Sunday at Lambeau Field, the penultimate game in a five-game trip which concludes in a week in Houston against the Texans.
And while the late-september through November time away from the Coliseum was supposed to be the ruination of the 2019 Raiders, they could conceivably come out of the tunnel not only in contention for the playoffs but with a distinct identity that was unrecognizable when it started on Sept. 22 with a 34-14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Not that Jon Gruden is looking too far ahead.
Pound the rock One of Gruden’s favorite sayings from back in the day, the Raiders have made it part of their personality and running the ball is the stiff left jab that sets up everything else. And Gruden has no problem with the Raiders continually delivering that jab as long as it’s effective.
Gruden’s first NFL job as a position coach was with Green Bay under Mike Holmgren in 1993, but he never won a game there with another team until 2005 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers That day, he ran Cadillac Williams 37 times for 158 yards in a 17-16 win. The Bucs ran it 41 times and passed it 26.
Josh Jacobs is unlikely to get 37 carries, but then again, the Raiders’ leading rusher with 430 yards is coming off a bye week and has looked more than capable of carrying the load. Play top down coverage In other words, don’t let Aaron Rodgers get the ball deep. The Packers are hurting at receiver like the Raiders, with top threat Davante Adams out with turf toe. But that doesn’t mean Rodgers, one of the best deep throwers in the game, can’t make heroes out of obscure receivers.
The Raiders offensive identity is clear, while that of the defense is beginning to come into focus. And while the Raiders may not dominate anyone on defense, they’ve shown the ability to defend the run and be solid tacklers in the secondary.